TechRepublic launches native apps for iPhone and Android

After upgrading the mobile version of the site earlier this year, TechRepublic is now launching native apps for iPhone and Android.

As the number of TechRepublic readers approaching our site from mobile devices continues to skyrocket, we are working to offer better and more effective ways for accessing our Web content on these devices. Earlier this year when we did our big site upgrade, we also revamped the mobile HTML version of TechRepublic (http://m.techrepublic.com) to make it much more friendly to use, especially on multitouch devices.

Now, we're officially announcing native apps for the Apple iPhone and Google Android platforms, which you can access from the following links:

Both the iPhone and Android apps have the same basic layout and are based around four tabs:

Most recent content

Most popular content

Content listed by blog

Content listed by author

These are basic reader apps to help our users quickly access our content and make it much easier to read on these mobile devices. Also, keep in mind that this is just the beginning of our mobile platform. Look for more developments in the future.

We welcome your feedback and suggestions on these new apps. Please post in the discussion below.

About Jason Hiner

Jason Hiner is Editor in Chief of TechRepublic and Long Form Editor of ZDNet. He writes about the people, products, and ideas changing how we live and work in the 21st century. He's co-author of the book, Follow the Geeks.

Full Bio

Jason Hiner is Editor in Chief of TechRepublic and Long Form Editor of ZDNet. He writes about the people, products, and ideas changing how we live and work in the 21st century. He's co-author of the book, Follow the Geeks.

I like the app but on my Nexus S it force closes daily. I keep sending in the crash logs but so far I haven't seen a new version come out. The problem appears to happen on resume. Could someone look into this please?

While I would like to use this app, the android market and google won't let me buy or download anything for my android tablet. It is Boss electronics and has a sort of market but not the Android Market.

I reading this on my LG Optimus WP7. Surprising number of wp7 phone requests here. Suspect this is due to most readers bring in Technology industry as opposed to consumers. The wp7 browser does a great job, but if native apps is the future here, then a wp7 app is a must to keep readers like me.

Since in a pandering move to Motorola and other non-MS, non-apple vendors, Google has chosen to exclude non-carrier Android devices from access to its market place, it would be great if TechRepublic would post the Android apps on a Tech Republic site, rather than requiring going to Google--where even Google account holders can not download to non-rooted Android tablet devices....

I tried to install your mobile application on my android phone from the android market but the process ends with the statement "This item is not compatible with your device". I would like know if there are a solution for my issue. My phone is a High MT65xx Android Phone (H6 Hero), with Android 2.2. Thanks.

Thank you for all of the feedback you've provided. Many of your comments are going directly into new planned builds of the apps that will be coming your way of the next few months.
As for support for other OS and form factors, we've made no firm commitments to anything outside of Android on small devices and iPhone/iPod screens at this time. In addition to gauging market conditions we're really using you all as our measuring sticks for what devices should come next. So, keep the comments coming. We read them all. Your opinions about what OS and devices we should work on next are key in our development roadmap!

I found this app while it was in beta, I beleive, since I was using it for a few weeks before you announced it here. Anyway, I love the app, but wish it had a 'favorites' option to store articles for later reference. Same with the ZDnet app, actualy. There are often articles I will want to access at a later point in time, as they are pertinent to my home setup,or are reviews that I want to keep around for easy comparisons. Other than that, I can't think of anything I owuld like to see added or changed.

This has been said so i will play the mocking bird. I use a WM 6.5 (yeah I know I should move up but I like my phone and it does what I need) and a Ipad, would love to have it on both (IPAD native not the Iphone zoomed in).
Thanks

The app is fantastic. I was able to install it on both my iPad and my Droid 2 last night, and the layout and format is really incredible. I love the ability to sort by topic, author, blog. It actually has a lot of features that could be of tremendous benefit on the full website. From what I've seen of it so far, TR knocked this one out of the ballpark.
Unfortunately, it doesn't appear as an App in the market on my rooted Coby Kyros. I can search on the Droid 2 and the Kyros side by side, and it shows up in the market on the Droid 2, but there is a conspicious absence on the Kyros.
Thinking I'd outsmart the market, I went into Astro to back the app up to an .apk and sideload it.
No dice, the app is private, like a paid game app or other DRM protected app.
Now, I understand why Tech Republic would want to limit the ability to sideload as an .apk - malware infected Tech Republic apps could have a negative impact on the perception of the site.
But making the app unavailable to unauthorized devices with Market access seems silly. The people who have devices that have been rooted and have added market access know what they're doing and the risks involved.
Open the app up and make it available to all devices that can access the market, or put it on other markets (Amazon, AppLib), too. Why limit the number of potential devices that can utilize this otherwise *awesome* app?

I would like to join the group that asks for a WinPhone 7 app as well. It feels at times like many of your writters bash MS for not supporting the device with apps and here you are, tech company and all, ignoring this piece. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE dont forget this device.

I just downloaded the iPhone App to my iPod touch and I can see right away that this will be handy. Is there a setting I need to tweak in order for the view to switch to landscape when I turn the iPod on it's side? It would be nice to be able to widen the reading pane.

I'm in South Africa and with the cost of data transfers, it makes sense for us to rather use BB's over most other phones, as the data costs are a lot less. I have a Bold 9700 so it is on the older OS but I might be upgrading to the Torch soon and it would be great to have it as an app cause I find the browser version on my BB is not the greatest.

If so then great; otherwise (else) I'll live with my G-mail version. My faves are the lists of 10 and 5 plus the hardware/software quizzes and IT Dojo. What a kick to be able to read Jason Hiner's list o' 10 on a device hacked with the directions from the NookDev folks he gave us. Android Market, I'm giving it a shot.

I noticed the ads last night... yeah... they're not bad at all.
Tech Republic is ad supported and the app and subscription is free... Unless people want to start facing a paywall (and we know NO one wants that) - you're gonna have to deal with some ads.

clicking the link in the article and signing into the Android market to download it? I just did (cuz I don't have my droid w/me right now) and so it will be waiting happily when I get to it later today :) There's a drop down, so you ought to be able to select your Kryos.
On a side note, but related tangent, I love how I use my Google account to do the above mentioned method of browsing through/installing droid apps :)

But, if you're finding them getting in the way of reading blog posts, you can always go into full view mode on those page types.
- Android: Tap twice on the screen of the blog post page
- iPhone: Tap once on the screen of the blog post page